Mercedes-Benz Is Replacing Robots With Humans On Its Assembly Line

Trending News: Robots Are Losing Their Jobs To Humans In This Factory

Why Is This Important?

Humans 1, Robots 0.

Long Story Short

Mercedes-Benz is replacing certain robots with humans on the assembly to keep up with growing demand for more individualized cars.

Long Story

Over and over we're told stories about how that job humans used to do — and do well — are being taken over by faster and ultimately cheaper robots. But while artificial intelligence will probably win the war, we've got one battle to celebrate.

Mercedes-Benz is cutting back on robots on the assembly line for the S-clas sedan at its Sindelfingen plant in Germany and replacing them with humans.

The good news for humankind comes via Bloomberg who asked Mercedes head of production, Markus Schaefer, why they company would choose to wind back the clock and give humans back the jobs robots stole from them decades ago. “Robots can’t deal with the degree of individualization and the many variants that we have today,” Schaefer said. “We’re saving money and safeguarding our future by employing more people.”

Many cars today are becoming smartphones on wheels. We want more high-tech functions, more styles, more models and yes, more colors than just black or silver. That means more customization, and according to Mercedes, robots just aren't cutting it.

“The variety is too much to take on for the machines,” said Schaefer to Bloomberg. “They can’t work with all the different options and keep pace with changes.”

This is not to say robots are on the way out — far from it. The Sindelfingen plant processes 1,500 tons of steel a day and pumps out over 400,000 vehicles a year and that's not going to go down. But if car manufacturers like Mercedes want to satisfy our cravings for individualized cars and speed up the production process — Mercedes plans on cutting the production time for a car from 61 hours in 2005 to 30, reports Bloomberg — they'll need to harmonize the relationship between robots and humans. That'll look like people working with smart little industrial robot sidekicks to get the job done and is creepily being called "robot farming."

We better enjoy this so-called robot farming while it lasts, because when the robots see how we're treating them, it'll be human farming that comes next.

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Ask The Big Question

One of the reasons humans were taken off the assembly line was because of safety, how will Mercedes make sure these workers are safe?

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One small battle in the bag and we can keep the momentum going. Come on human race, let's kick these robot job thieves to the curb!

Drop This Fact

Mercedes' F015 concept car unveiled last January has four seats that can swivel around for face-to-face discussion while the car rolls on (presumably driving itself).